This was a really fun book! I have always loved a pirate fantasy book. Throw in a marriage out of necessity and a quest for a mysterious island? You’ve got me hooked.

I really liked the characters here! There were alot of side characters too that I thought were fun additions to the story. There were some times where the book got a little confusing, which is why I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5, but I do think I’ll be reading more from this author!

3.5 ⭐️

I realllyyyyy thought I would love this way more than I did. The characters and romance kinda fell flat for me, and I felt like I was just ready to finish this one. I was expecting the plot to be a bit more adventurous and I just didn’t find myself caring or connecting. With that being said, I know some people will LOVE this, and the writing is amazing, so I still recommend!

Thank you to Ace for the advanced copy. Out July 8!

Saoirse has been cursed her entire life and has been locked away by her father. Faolan is a legendary pirate who is intent on finding the girl with ocean eyes to lead him in a quest. When Saoirse is trapped in an unwanted betrothal, she makes a deal with Fallen to help him on his quest as long as he helps her escape.

This book has SO much to be excited for - pirates, magic & gods, marriage of convenience and found family. It all sounded so good, and yet unfortunately it never really hooked me. I think maybe it was just a case of wrong book, wrong time because the bones of the story are good and I definitely found myself enjoying a lot of it, I just never really felt pulled in.

That being said, I think this is a fun pirate romantasy & I would still recommend it!

What you get:
-pirate romantasy
-magic, curses & gods
-marriage of convenience
-flirty pirate MMC
-finding her power FMC
-"my wife"
-found family

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

SOULGAZER is everything I didn't know I was missing. I was hooked on simply the premise, but I stayed for Maggie's lush prose and this stunning world she's made come alive. Also, I am in love with Faolan. I can't want to tell the world about this book. And I can't wait for book two!

Soulgazer tells the story Saoirse, a young woman with a mysterious power who never asked for it. All she yearns for is freedom until one day she thinks she may have found it with a pirate of legend - Faolan (the wolf) who has tasked her with helping him find the Isle of Lost Souls.

I enjoyed the overall concept of this book and the descriptions of setting were great, I always feel like I could see exactly what was being described. I also enjoyed the characters in general, I really liked the rest of the pirate crew and wish we had gotten more of them.

My main critique of this story is that I never felt like I truly understood the power Saoirse had until about 3/4s of the way through the book. I think that was partly due to the storytelling of her figuring out what her power was, but it just came across as incredibly confusing and took me out of the story a lot. I felt very lost for the first half of the book.

I also feel like the pacing was off, arguments felt like they were resolved too quickly or things felt like they weren't flushed out as well as they could have been. I also feel like there were too many "conveniences" to keep the story going in the right direction.

Lastly, the ending felt out of character/abrupt. It leaves you wanting more which I guess helps lead into the sequel - but it honestly just left a bad taste in my mouth.

What a fun debut! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book, other than the promised pirates and romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Saoirse has had a tumultuous childhood under the oppressive rule of her father. Cursed with Seer magic, Saoirse has spent most of her life shunned by her own family. In an effort to secure funds for their lands, her father promises her hand in marriage to the Maccus, a formidable ruler known as the Stone King. To escape her fate and to find a way to get rid of her magic, Saoirse seeks out Faolan, a handsome but devious pirate, to help her. He agrees, but with a price: she must help him find the Isle of Lost Souls. What ensues is an adventure of high stakes, deception, found family, and love.

Soulgazer was just the romantasy I needed in my life. I requested this solely based on the cover and the fact that the description mentioned pirates, but this ended up being so much more. What I really enjoyed was Saoirse’s journey of self discovery. I loved how Faolan encouraged and believed in her and how it counteracted much of the internalized trauma from her family. I also found Faolan and Saoirse’s dynamic to be so refreshing to read (so much tension, so little time).

I will say, the magic system took me a little while to fully understand. Even still, I found Saoirse’s magic to be very interesting and unique.

I didn’t realize this was the start of a duology, but I am so excited to see where the story goes in the next installment. Mark your calendars for when Soulgazer is out in July!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley/Ace for the ARC!

3.5

if outlander, the shepherd king duology and pirates of the caribbean had a baby it would be this book.

first off, let me just say the writing in this is phenomenal! so poetic and compelling and i’m really looking forward to following along this author’s journey.

the premise & magic system of this world is unique to the romantasy scene which i think will give readers a fresh experience as they read this book. i’d recommend for those who gravitate to the softer fmcs whose strength can still be found even in their quietness (these are my personal favorite fmcs to read about!)

the character development felt a bit rushed/glanced over where i was wish we could have lingered more. i love the fmc but would have loved to see her open up & communicate more with those around her, especially with the mmc. and speaking of our pirate, he rly shined in this book! like jack sparrow and will turner rolled into one 🫠

the pacing felt a little off at times, giving the sensation of being randomly dropped into a scene with no context as to how we got to X location or became a part of Y conversation.

one last thing to mention the author’s note:
powerful, resonating, and necessary!!! for those that grew up in the clutches of purity culture and confined by religious oppression, this book was written FOR YOU! i loved how clear that messaging was from the very beginning and loved seeing confirmation of this in the note at the end. reclamation of womanhood is something i will always appreciate in stories and this author does a fantastic job of that 👏🏻

thank you so much to berkley romance for the gifted arc in exchange for my honest thoughts 💌

I liked this book and can't wait for the next one. The pirate theme was fun, and I liked the fmc Saoirse and her exploring her magic and family hatred towards her and the powers she has inside her. The mmc Faolan was a brooding pirate who was leading the ship and crew, and I liked him, though I wanted to get to know his motivations more. The fmc is not accepted by her family and is lonely, so she gets into an arranged marriage with the fmc. I loved the high-sea aspect and adventures, especially at sea with people trying to get them. The romance is a slow burn and isn't that spicy, but there are steamy and tender moments. There is good found family, and I am intrigued by the worldbuilding and magic system, and would love to see it delved more into in the next book. I liked the plot adventure quest, and also liked the writing; it wasn't difficult to understand and flowed so well. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the next book. Thanks to Ace Books for this arc for an honest review.

Where has this book been all my life? Maggie Rapier's debut is a dazzling entry into the romantasy canon. I devoured every page, and I can't wait for more. Plus, can we get a moment for the cover?!

Beautiful writing. Interesting and unique premise. However found the romance to be just okay and the world building to be confusing/lacking at times.

Equal parts adventure and steamy romance! Marriage of convenience that takes her into a forced adventure with a rugged pirate! Yes, please!

The absolutely stunning cover is what initially caught my eye and then once I read the blurb I was sold. It sounded like it’d he a great adventure with a fun romance.
Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. While I generally enjoyed the writing, I didn’t find much else about the story to be compelling. I do think that’s why I’m giving it 3 stars, it might be a personal opinion of not entirely enjoying the story itself and not necessarily a reflection on the writing.
I do enjoy tragic characters but I felt the beginning was bit much. I just kept thinking “Dang, will she ever catch a break?” But not in a way that makes me want to keep reading.
I also found the world building to be a bit clunky and it made it hard to enjoy the story.

Overall though, I know there will be an audience for this book that will love it. Unfortunately it just wasn’t me!

What a lovely debut. I was immediately drawn in by the cover, and I’m so glad it prompted me to pick up this book.

Soulgazer is peak romantasy, with equal attention to character and atmosphere as plot. If you have a weak spot for pirates, you’ll especially like this one. I’m a sucker for marriages of convenience, but I appreciated that it was still a slow burn. I kept wanting to push them together, but of course, the payoff is worth it in the end.

I truly appreciate that Saoirse is a soft heroine—not a skilled physical fighter, and more sad than angry. It’s a refreshing change from other stories I’ve read. Her not having the typical slender, muscled body type was also welcome. All in all, I loved Rapier’s writing style, which is balanced and beautiful.

It’s rare I find a book where I can rate the sexual content as “moderate” rather than graphic or minor. The characters’ physical relationship was important to their story, and we weren’t completely shut out of it. But the scenes aren’t vulgar or extremely descriptive. I’d let a high schooler read it.

There were a few scenes I felt like I was missing some context, and I’d have to go back and reread to see what I’d missed, but then was still confused so I just plundered on. This was mainly during the quests—I found myself not exactly knowing what they were seeking and why. I’m sure I’d understand more on a reread.

I was so glad to see that the author plans to continue this as a series. It’s a fascinating world and lovable, interesting characters who deserve more page time. I will definitely continue reading.

A beautifully written pirate fantasy with unique magic, curses, an epic quest, mythology, found family, tons of witty banter, and a yearning love story. Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

3.75/5 -- I'm generally a fan of Nordic fantasy - so I knew I would like this! However, while I really enjoyed the imagery and style of storytelling, I did NOT like our heroine in Soulgazer. She as a whole struck me as a simpering fool, and I would like to have reached through the pages and smacked her a time or two.

Beyond that though - this was an incredibly fun read and I found myself looking forward to what twists and turns would be uncovered!

Everyone, allow me to introduce you to one of my new favorite books of all times. This book was exactly what I had hoped it would be, but also so much more. This is one of the few times I can honestly say that you can judge this book by its cover because the cover conveys so much in such a pretty package that is equally found wave after wave throughout the book.

Soulgazer is the story of a "cursed" princess who finally chooses for herself and ends up in the company of a pirate captain and his crew. This story is about growing into yourself after trauma and building trust brick by brick. This book has found family, twists and turns, an epic quest and a slow burn romance that really delivers on the yearning and the anticipation.

You have the main character, Saoirse, who is our POV throughout the entirety of this book. She carries magic that she sees as a curse due to some spoilery things that I won't get into for the sake of keeping this spoiler free. She is under the brutal control of her father and after a decision is forced upon her, she finds herself running to the safety of the legendary pirate Wolf of the Wild (also known as Faolan) to join him on his quest to essentially find a magical island that's been lost to their people for centuries.

Saoirse is the kind of character that I tend to really enjoy and the kind that I genuinely wish that I could befriend and just hug because she desperately needs someone to be in her corner. There is a softness to her that she never really looses but you really see her come into her own as the story progresses in a very real sort of way you would expect considering her entire story. I absolutely adore her all throughout this book.

Faolan is a dashing pirate that gives major bard energy in the best way possible. He is a legend and a storyteller who leans heavily into this version of himself that he's built up. There are a lot of hidden layers to him that I hope we get to see more of throughout the rest of the books (I don't know if this is a series or a duology). He is swoonworthy but also soooooo human with his flaws and I think that Maggie wrote him in a way that is perfectly balanced. I really think everyone is going to fall hard for this man. He's one of my favorite MMCs honestly.

The rest of the crew made for a fun dynamic as well. I really enjoyed seeing how differently they all interacted with Faolan and Saoirse as well as amongst themselves. I don't usually like books with pirates or books that take place primarily on the ocean (I have no idea why, it's just been the case previously), but this book was an absolute joy to read and is so beautifully written. I tabbed the heck out of my ARC copy as I annotated and I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to read an early copy of this book that I just know is going to be big!

Maggie Rapier has found a forever reader with me and I'm so excited to see what else is in store for this book series.

Absolutely obsessed with this narrative. I loved the found family, the comradery, and the resolution to the story. It did not end quite on a cliff hanger, but it still left me exciting for the next book.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

The last year has really been my discovery and absolute obsession with the romantasy genre - it’s just so much fun and feels like catnip for my brain. So when I read Soulgazer’s synopsis I was beyond intrigued. Especially as someone who grew up absolutely loving the Pirates of the Caribbean series I was so excited to jump into a romantasy set on a ship. Before reading I saw so many reviewers say how beautiful the writing was and holy smokes, they were not wrong. Such beautiful world building and setting description to the point where all I wanted was to head to the beach. Add on the romance and tension and it was just a sublime reading experience.

This was an enjoyable read. I liked the magical, pirate and fantasy telling of the story. Mixing elements together made it a nice read. Some parts did feel a bit too much to read but the overall story was a joy. Saoirse's character arch was interesting to read from being hidden and not knowing her full strength to becoming the woman that is strong and her magic is beyond belief. This was a fun read.

The pacing was perfect. Soulgazer is hard to put down once you start. The world history. mythology, and mystery draws readers. The banter between characters balances darker traumatic topics. The romantic elements is a bit of a slow burn with angst sprinkled in. The majority of the book is in the perspective of the main female character, which is very wishy-washy.

The writing was lyrical without bogging down the reader. Get your highlighter ready!

Readers who enjoyed One Dark Window or the webcomic Under the Oak Tree will enjoy.

Looking forward to the next in this duology.